1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an electro-optical imaging apparatus and more particularly to an electro-optical imaging system which automatically performs self-diagnostic tests on itself.
2. Description of the Prior Art
With the tremendous, ever-expanding developments and advancements currently being made in the state of the electronics art, the complexity of the resultant advanced electronic equipment has increased at an extremely rapid rate. Associated with the increased complexity of these advanced electronic equipments, various problems have developed in relation to the field service of such complex electronic equipment. Maintenance costs on these equipments have sharply increased; and the number of adequately trained technicians to service these complex electronic equipment has not kept pace with the proliferation of such equipments. As a result, equipment down-time has increased for the customer of such equipments. In addition, technicians frequently incorrectly analyze the failures of such equipments, resulting in good electronic circuit boards being sent to associated repair depots as "suspect" boards for subsequent testing and repair. Finally, intermittent faults (faults which sometimes appear and then somehow seem to disappear) are frequently undetected by the technician.
Equipment down-time, as well as the original cost of the equipment and the subsequent maintenance costs, adds to the customer's cost of doing business, since the customer must continue to pay the operator of such equipment even when that equipment is not operational. Thus, it is important to the customer to have his equipment diagnosed and repaired as rapidly as possible to help minimize his cost of doing business.
In the specific electronic art of electro-optical imaging, many different types of apparatuses and systems have been proposed for controlling the operation of such imaging equipment. For example, typical exemplary prior art optical imaging apparatuses and systems have been proposed for: providing a visible warning on a monitor whenever portions of a received television image exceed a desired level of illumination (see U.S. Pat. No. 3,676,587); controlling the exposure time or integration time (see U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,717,077; 3,741,088; 3,944,816; 4,174,528; 4,176,955; and 4,202,014); adjusting the iris (see U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,050,085 and 4,300,167); controlling the background and contrast (see U.S. Pat. No. 3,952,144); adjusting a television camera (see U.S. Pat. No. 4,249,197); controlling the gain (see U.S. Pat. No. 4,287,536); and correcting for light intensity changes (see U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,379,826 and 4,133,008).
All of the above-described apparatuses and systems are basically directed to controlling various operational aspects of electro-optical imagers. None of these apparatuses and systems teach or even suggest any means for providing self-diagnostics of the equipment to give an operator an indication of either a failure or deteriorating condition of the equipment itself. In fact, applicants do not know of any prior art electro-optical imaging equipment which provides any such self-diagnostic operation.